Bargain Galba

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by nicholasz219, Dec 4, 2017.

  1. nicholasz219

    nicholasz219 Well-Known Member

    So, once in a while, a blind squirrel finds a nut and this was me a few weeks ago. I saw this Galba in the Heritage Auction and thought, well maybe if my other coins do not go my way, I will try and buy that Galba. I only had one other Galba, a provincial that I bought from @Mat. While I like that coin, I did also want to add a coin of Rome when an example came up. At about $55, this was a steal in my book. The legends and center designs are worn of course, but enough of the legends remain to make identification easy and of course "GALBA" is top center and boldly there. I call this a nice little win.

    5647 5648.jpg

    Galba, Denarius, VICTORIA P R
    AR Denarius
    Galba
    Augustus: July, 68 - January, 69AD
    Issued:
    19.0 x 17.5mm 2.70gr
    O: IMP SER GALBA CAESAR AVG; Laureate head, right.
    R: VICTORIA P R; Victory standing left on globe, wreath upward in right hand, palm in left.
    Rome Mint
    RIC 217; RSC 328; BMC 49.
    Aorta: B7, O13, R56, T78, M3.
    Heritage Auctions Weekly World and Ancient Coin Auction, Auction 231746, Lot 63101. Ex. Nilus Coins.
    11/16/17 11/24/17

    And by no means should I slight my Alexandrian coin of Galba from @Mat. As you can see below, it has a nice strong "GALBA" in Greek as well.

    5168 5169.jpg

    Galba, Tetradrachm, EIPHNH
    BI Tetradrachm
    Galba
    Augustus: 68 - 69AD
    Issued: 68AD
    22.5mm 10.21gr
    O: ΛΟΥΚ ΛΙΒ ΣΟΥΛΠ ΓΑΛΒΑ ΚΑΙΕ ΣΕΒΑ ΑΥΤ; Laureate head, right.
    R: EIPHNH; Veiled bust of Eirene (Pax) right, caduceus over shoulder.
    Exergue: LA, obverse right field. (LA = Regnal Year 1 = 68AD)
    Alexandria, Egypt Mint
    Koln 219; Milne 309; RPC 5328; Geissen 219; Dattari 302.
    bronzemat
    8/14/17 8/18/17

    So, in honor of Galba and my friend @Mat, post any coins from Galba and/or coins that you bought, traded for or received from a friend. I'll leave the posting of Alexandrian issues in general to @Mat.
     
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  3. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    That coin saw some circulation! Imagine the soldiers, butchers, gladiators, wine-merchants, priestesses and architects that handled that coin. It's got clear obverse legends and a very recognizable portrait. I like it.
     
  4. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    Just about any Galba is a great find. Congrats.
     
    galba68 and nicholasz219 like this.
  5. Theodosius

    Theodosius Fine Style Seeker

    Great capture for a super price!

    John
     
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  6. Orfew

    Orfew Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

    Nice Galba with a good portrait and the full name on the obverse. Great catch
     
    nicholasz219 likes this.
  7. TJC

    TJC Well-Known Member

    Yeah, a Galba at that price is a bargain foe sure!
     
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  8. nicholasz219

    nicholasz219 Well-Known Member

    Thanks everyone! I was pretty excited to get it! Also, as it turned out, I won no other coins in that auction. You know, the ones I wanted lol.
     
    TJC and Roman Collector like this.
  9. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    All galbas are a good addition.:cool:
     
    nicholasz219 likes this.
  10. zumbly

    zumbly Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

    Nice! Solid bargain with the bold portrait and full GALBA on there, imho.
     
    nicholasz219 likes this.
  11. randygeki

    randygeki Coin Collector

    Very nice deal!


    My Budget Galba:
    galb11 (1).JPG



    and a coin from Mat :)

    IMG_3567.jpg
     
  12. Daniel_R6

    Daniel_R6 Well-Known Member

    A nice find at a nice price!
     
    nicholasz219 likes this.
  13. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    Great find at a great price - clear portrait and name - I like it!
     
  14. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Great job snaring those Galbas @nicholasz219 !

    I have a couple:

    RI GALBA AR Quinarius Lugdunum mint laureate r Victory globe stdng left 15mm 1.5g SCARCE.JPG
    RI GALBA AR Quinarius Lugdunum mint laureate r Victory globe stdng left 15mm 1.5g SCARCE

    RI Galba AE Sestertius SPQR - O.B - CIV.SER in Wreath.jpg
    RI Galba AE Sestertius SPQR - O.B - CIV.SER in Wreath
     
    Mikey Zee, Johndakerftw, TJC and 5 others like this.
  15. Eduard

    Eduard Supporter**

    Nice Galba denarius you got there, and at a great price:)

    As far as I am concerned, you can never have enough Galbas.

    Here are some of the denarii in my collection:

    Galba denarius-wreath-obv - 1.jpg Galba denarius-wreath-rev - 1.jpg Galba denarius-victoria-obv - 1.jpg Galba denarius-victoria-rev - 1.jpg Galba denarius Libertas-obv - 1.jpg Galba denarius Libertas-Rev - 1.jpg Galba denarius HISPANIA - OBV1 - 1-ccfopt-2.jpg Galba denarius HISPANIA - Rev - 1-ccfopt-2.jpg N
     
  16. nicholasz219

    nicholasz219 Well-Known Member

    Eduard and Alegandron like this.
  17. Orfew

    Orfew Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

    I have 2 coins of Galba.
    galba ric 193.jpg
    Galba ric 236.jpeg
     
  18. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

  19. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    I have a desire for a denarius but have not found the coin. My sestertius is worn but I am happy with the as. Considering how little difference there in between the two, I can not explain why.
    rb1160b00420alg.jpg rb1170b00974lg.jpg
     
  20. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Kinda hard to beat the coin in the OP for that price. I can't recall seeing a denarius of a Civil War emperor that cheap, ever! And it's got an OK portrait and a full name on the flan, too. So there's a toughish name checked off the list, if one is pursuing a 12C set, or an "as many emperors as possible" set.

    Here are the two Galbas I've owned.

    The first was from my original "A to Z" (Augustus to Zeno) Roman collection. It had some porosity and probably some smoothing, but to get a Galba sestertius for just under $300, I was happy. I got it from Rutten & Wieland in late 2007. I think this was the first sestertius I ever owned.

    [​IMG]

    The second was a rather prosaic Spanish mint As from my later 12 Caesars set. It certainly wasn't anything special, but it was OK, I guess.

    [​IMG]
     
  21. nicholasz219

    nicholasz219 Well-Known Member

    @lordmarcovan I think both are pretty nice. Nice portraits and solid legends. Of the three mine would be in the toughest shape. But I like it and it came in for well under what I thought I would have to pay for a Galba denarius. So it’s not perfect, whatever. Checks a nice box for my 12 Caesars/all of the emperors (which I know I will never get) set.

    It’s nice to see you in here LM.
     
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